Kidnapped
by Scanndalus
Summary: Naruto gets kidnapped by Orochimaru on his way back from a mission. Can Team 7 find him and save him from the fate that Orochimaru has in store for him? Wait a minute, I thought Orochimaru was dead! Rated M for language. I may add pairings later.
1. I thought he was dead

Alright this is my first fic. I am setting it about a year after Sasuke defeated Itachi. Akatsuki is still after Naruto. I won't spoil any of the story, but it doesn't follow the Manga exactly. We'll see. I really hope that you enjoy it.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in the Narutoverse. Hell, I don't even want to own him. Kishimoto is doing a great job of it.

* * *

Kidnapped

"_**KIT! WAKE UP KIT!!"**_

Naruto wakes up lying in the water of the sewers in front of Kyuubi's cage. "Fox, why am I here?"

"_**The Snake's boytoy, Kabuto, used some kind of jutsu to put you into a coma. And before you ask, I have no idea what is going on. The Snake is blocking my sensory abilities."**_

"We have to figure out what is going on and get back in control of my body…"

* * *

Three days later, in Tsunade's office…

"Kakashi, where the hell is Naruto?"

Kakashi sighs, "Hokage-sama, I have no idea. You haven't even told me what his last mission was."

"He was sent on a simple search and destroy mission. It was only supposed to take three days. That was a week ago. Hell, he didn't even have to do any searching. Shikamaru told him exactly where to find the artifact he was to destroy. "

Tsunade shows Kakashi where Naruto was to go on the map. "Kakashi, I want you to take Sasuke, Sakura and Sai to find him. If you are able to find him, bring his sorry ass back here so I can pound him. If there is anything wrong, investigate the circumstances and find him. Send me messages and let me know what is going on."

Kakashi examines the map and straightens up. "Hai!" And with that he leaves in a puff of smoke.

Tsunade goes back to her desk and pours herself a shot of sake. "That baka better be ok. This isn't like him to be late coming back from a mission."

* * *

Over at the dango shop, Sai is about to get knocked out of his shoes…

"SAI!! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!!"

With his most genuine smile, Sai repeats his innocent comment. "I said that you should just ask Sasuke if he would have sex with…" At that, Sai crashes through the wall and lands in the street on his face.

Sasuke is laughing so hard his almost pisses on himself. "Sakura, give him a break, he has led a sheltered life and doesn't know any better."

"Well that baka better learn! And stop laughing you jerk! It's not funny!"

Just as Sakura is about to punch Sasuke in the face, Kakashi appears between them. "Yo, we have to go on a mission. What happened to Sai?"

"Sakura is teaching him table etiquette." Sasuke laughed as he ducked a chakra-enhanced kick to the head.

"You're just lucky that you had the Sharingan activated, Sasuke-teme. "

"As much fun as this is, meet me at the Gate in 2 hours with enough gear for a long term mission. I'll explain when you get there."

And with that he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sasuke gets up and tells Sakura, "I'll pick Sai up. Kakashi-sensei seems pretty serious. We better hurry up and get there."

"I'll meet you there. And make sure that I didn't hurt him too badly."

* * *

A/N: Okay, this is my first fic. Be gentle. I want any criticism that you will throw my way. I know that Sasuke seems out of character, but he will get back in character in later chapters. Just give it some time. Future chapters will be longer. I just want to set the scene for right now. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and will stay for future chapters.


	2. Orochimaru's lab

A/N: Well, I wasn't expecting to update this so fast, but inspiration hit me. I am going to start on Chapter three now. I don't want to cover too many things per chapter. My goal is to increase the amount of detail in each chapter until I am able to get it where I want it. This chapter is much closer than Chapter 1. I am looking to get it up to around 5000 words per chapter in the future. Now on with the show!

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto can keep the stress of dealing with publishers!

* * *

Kidnapped

Chapter 2: Orochimaru's lab

"You are too precious a commodity for me to do direct "experimentation" on. But I can use your special talents to make this easier. Unfortunately, you will feel all of the pain associated with the procedure. But don't worry, Naruto-kun. You will not suffer any… physical damage."

With this, Kabuto pricks Naruto's finger and wipes some of the blood down Naruto's arm. Forming a ram sign he yells, "Chishio Bunshin no Jutsu!" On a table next to Naruto's comatose form appears an identical Naruto in a puff of smoke. "Now, I can begin the procedure. "

Kabuto reaches for a scalpel and cuts into the bunshin's chest. As he reaches to open the bunshin's chest cavity, a Sound Chuunin enters the room. "Orochimaru-sama! Our spies have reported that Konoha has sent out the Copy Ninja's team. They are moving in the direction that your subject was picked up from.

Kabuto looks up from the Bunshin. "Good. Inform me of their movements. Do not attack them. If they find that you are spying on them, take the pill that I gave you. And make sure that you wear the hitai-ate you took from that rogue-nin you killed."

The Chuunin nods at Kabuto. "Hai!" and runs from the room.

Kabuto smiles and goes back to his work. "Come and chase my squirrels. Your friends are looking for you Naruto-kun. Will they find you? The anticipation is delicious. Continue to hope. Continue to struggle inside your soul. You can't escape. You can't fight me. But continue. It makes this so much more enjoyable!" Kabuto smiles and licks his lips with a very long and deep purple tongue. "This body will be very useful for the next 2 years while I am preparing you for my inhabitation. I don't know why I didn't come for you before I came for Sasuke-kun. I should have realized that taking an unwilling subject would be more enjoyable than a subservient one. These years will be wonderful. And when I am done, I will have you power. And I will have the Kyuubi. Yes, struggle. Fight. I can feel your power."

* * *

In Kyuubi's sewer, Naruto collapses into the water. "ARRRRGGGHHH! Fox, what's happening? It feels like my heart is being ripped from my chest."

"_**It is, Kit. The Snake is operating on you, or rather on a Bunshin of you. I can feel the pain as well. It is incredible. I am doing my best to block most of it from you, but due to the nature of the jutsu he is using, I can't block it all."**_

"How can he be doing this to a Bunshin? Wouldn't it just disappear once he started inflicting damage to it?"

"_**It would if it were a regular Bunshin or even a Kage Bunshin, but it a Chishio Bunshin, a Blood Clone. It is much more durable and he is augmenting it with some kind of seal in the room we are in. He used your own blood create it."**_

"When we get out of this you will have to teach that jutsu to me. It would be much more useful in battle than a Kage Bunshin. I could have a veritable army of Narutos. ARRRRGGGHHH! We've got to make him stop! How am I not dead! This is unbearable!"

Kyuubi growls through the pain. _**"You really are dense aren't you, Kit. Listen to what I am telling you. It was made using your own blood. It is tied to you. It can take much more damage than a Kage Bunshin, but at a cost. You take all of the pain that the Chishio Bunshin receives from its injuries. And it is compounded by the injuries that you receive and your other Chishio Bunshins take. Not even your knuckleheaded self can take that much pain and still function. I assume that Orochimaru or his boytoy, Kabuto, developed it so that they wouldn't run through as many test subjects."**_

"Oh, but still, we could probably use it in an emergency. Besides, I'm tougher than you think. ARRRRRGHHHHH!! That one was worse than the others!"

"_**Yeah, because I let a little more get past me! Not so tough are we, dumbass. HAHAHA! But you are right. It would come in handy. When we get out of this we will have to work on it. Now we have to figure out a way to break out of this coma. I can't tell if it is a Genjutsu, a Ninjutsu or a seal. The Snake has let the jutsu down that won't let me sense what is going on. We are in some kind of infirmary. It is poorly lit and definitely underground. I can't tell where we are though."**_

"Can you hear what Orochimaru is saying or is he even there?"

"_**Well, yes and no. It seems that Kabuto is doing the surgery, but the Sound-nin are referring to him as Orochimaru."**_

"Well, I guess that explains why Orochimaru isn't dead. Remind me to kick Sasuke's ass for not killing Orochimaru well enough. Can you force some of your chakra into my mind to try to break the hold he has on me?"

"_**Good idea but no. He has your tenketsu points blocked with chakra-enhanced acupuncture needles. I can't force them out. Not yet anyway. If he doesn't replace them, then I may be able to force them out once the chakra weakens. But don't count on him not recharging him. As much as I despise him, he's no slouch."**_

"Dammit! We have to figure something out."

"_**I'm not giving up, baka! We just can't bully our way out of this. AHHHHHH! The Bunshin has been released. He must be done for a while. I hope that it drained his chakra. I hate that asshole!"**_

* * *

Orochimaru wipes the sweat from his brow. "Well, that certainly was a good session. I will be back bright and early tomorrow to start again. Sleep well, Naruto-kun."

Orochimaru walks from the room and turns off the light. He grins as he walks back to his room. "I will have that power!"

* * *

**Chishio Bunshin no Jutsu – Blood Clone Technique:** Allows for a clone to be created that can take much more damage. The cost is that the user feels all of the pain from the injuries but doesn't actually take any of the injuries that the clone does. It takes much more chakra to create. It takes probably on the line of 100 times more for one Chishio Bunshin than a Kage Bunshin. It is an S-Class Forbidden technique that I made up. If it is similar to one in another fic, it is totally unintentional.

**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique: **We all know what a shadow clone is.

A/N: Let me know what you think. I will only get better with your criticism. No flames please, but I will gladly take negative criticism if it will help me to make a better story. Thank you for reading this. I hope you are enjoying it!


	3. The Search Begins

A/N: Well, no reviews yet, but I am enjoying writing this story. I'll take silence as approval. I am getting closer to my goal of 5000 word per chapter. This one has around 2200 words. That is up about 1000 words from Chapter 2. So far I have had about 160 hits on this story. About 2 out of every 3 people that read chapter one, read chapter 2 as well. I will take that as a success. Now, on with the show!

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto gets paid very well to do it and I don't need that stress!**

* * *

Kidnapped

Chapter 3: The Search Begins

Team 7 is jumping from tree branch to tree branch. Pakkun catches up with Kakashi. "Report."

"We haven't found any scent of him yet. Did you find any information in the last town that you visited?"

"The only place he visited was a ramen stand. After he depleted their entire ramen supply for a week, he headed out. They even put his name on a seat. The shop owner told me to tell him that he gets preferential treatment whenever he comes back. He didn't even stop for the night in an inn. All indications are that he was trying to make it back to Konoha quickly."

Sakura joins up with the two of them. "Well, we have narrowed it down to this stretch of forest. We should find him somewhere near here. I'm starting to get worried, Kakashi-sensei. Naruto was excited to make it back in time to train before the Chuunin exams. He wouldn't want to hold Sasuke up and miss ANOTHER exam. What do you think happened to him?"

Kakashi looks over to Sakura. "I wouldn't worry. You know how Naruto is. He probably ran across someone in distress and went to help them. He has a heart bigger than all of Konoha. But one day he is going to piss off Tsunade-sama to the point that she is going to make one of your ass-whippins look like love taps." Kakashi smiles under his mask to reassure the pink-haired kunoichi.

Sakura gulps and wipes a huge sweat drop off her rather ample forehead. "Well, I guess it might be better in his case if he had gotten in trouble rather than have helped some poor kid. We better find him soon or Sasuke might not let Tsunade-sama have first crack at him. "

"He'll get over it. The two of them may still be Genin, but they get the missions of Jounin. As long as they still get to go out and play on missions, they'll still be happy. But don't worry Sakura. We'll find him. By the way, have you forgiven Sasuke yet? I've noticed that you've stopped calling him Sasuke-teme."

Sakura wipes a lock of pink hair out of her eyes. "I don't know. I guess. He really fucking hurt me, us. I know that I am being irrational and that I should just let it go. He has paid his penance to the village. Naruto has forgiven him. Hell, he forgave him as soon as he came back. What should I do sensei?"

Kakashi looks her over. "I didn't realize that you were struggling with this as hard as you are. It is really up to you. No one can make you get over it. I would suggest talking to him about it. I know he desires your acceptance. And he would really enjoy not having to have his Sharingan activated at all times when he is around you. Although I think that you are pulling your punches a bit."

Sakura giggles. "You got me. It's just not as much fun to hit him as it is to hit Naruto. I should talk to him. Maybe I will when we get Naruto back."

Kakashi nods and they follow Pakkun on further to the east.

Sasuke sneezes. "I hate allergies."

Sai looks over at Sasuke. "Allergies? I didn't know you had any."

"Mold and mildew. I developed them staying in all of those dank underground hideouts with that son of a bitch Orochimaru and Kabuto. Man am I glad that Itachi killed him."

Sai looks at Sasuke in surprise. "I thought you killed him, Sasuke. How did your brother manage to kill him?"

Sasuke's eyes shut in pain at the memory of his brother. "I didn't kill him. I dominated his soul. He attempted to transfer his soul into my body and I defeated him. He didn't die. I took control of him. Then I went after my brother. Itachi destroyed Orochimaru when I hit chakra depletion and Orochimaru wrested control from me for an instance. My brother saved me… again. Why didn't he just fucking tell me? The damn Third Hokage should have fucking told me. I had a right to know."

Sasuke lapses into silence. Sai leaves him alone for a moment and continues on ahead to give Sasuke his privacy.

After a couple of minutes, Sasuke catches up with Sai. "I'm sorry for my outburst. I shouldn't speak that way about the Third. He was a great man."

Sai looks at Sasuke and smiles a genuine smile. "Really? I never knew him. Danzou-sama and the rest of Root hated him. They said he was weak and would ruin Konoha. I never had an opinion. In fact, until I met Naruto and Sakura, I never even knew how to form one. What was he like?"

Sasuke looks a little surprised. "What was the Third like? Well, he embodied the "Will of Fire". He took care of me when my brother killed our clan. He let me learn from my mistakes and become my own 

man, but he always let me know that I could count on him. He took care of Naruto too. The man had a heart larger than all of the Fire Country. I don't know how he did it. He loved each person in the village like they were his own child, without exception. That is probably where Naruto garnered his strength. He was a hero too. I don't know many people that would sacrifice their immortal soul to save the village. He did it without regret. I wish that I wasn't such a disappointment to him."

"How were you a disappointment?"

"I basically spit on his grave when I left the village to join with Orochimaru. The Third sacrificed his soul for the village, but Orochimaru did anything he could to stay alive. There is no way to count all that he destroyed to lengthen his life. In the end, he wasn't even the last of the Sanin to die. I forfeited the Will of Fire for the Heart of Cowardice. And I will never be able to make up for what I have done."

Sai continues forward but continues to lightly prod. "But you were reinstated. You are admired for your skill and prowess in battle. Naruto accepted you back immediately and even argued for you in front of the council. You are forgiven."

Sasuke is unfazed. "I am not forgiven. I won't ever forgive myself. It doesn't matter that I had that cursed seal. It may have clouded my judgment, but I still made the decision. And more importantly, Sakura hasn't forgiven me. I destroyed her. She begged me to stay. She begged Naruto to come after me. And I ran. I was a true coward. I will work for the rest of my days to try to make it up to her. As for Naruto, that dobe never held anything against me. I think his heart is even larger than the Third's. After everything I did to him, he never hated me. He never gave up trying to bring me out of the darkness. That baka should have jus left me where I belonged." Sasuke drifted back into his ever present depression.

Sai just shakes his head. "You should really get over yourself you emo bastard."

Sasuke looks up quickly and sees Sai's genuine smile. Sasuke just laughs and says, "I can see why Sakura is always beating the shit out of you and Naruto. Thank you. You are right. I need to stop feeling sorry for myself."

Sai smiles. "Why don't you talk to Sakura? I read in a book that if you try to talk to people that are angry with you, you can usually resolve conflicts. I do recommend wearing body armor though. If she hadn't healed my jaw before we left, I don't think that I would be able to open it up enough to eat."

"Don't worry. I have been keeping my Sharingan activated when I am within 20 feet of her. What about you? How are you doing since Root was dissolved for good?"

"Are you sure that it is? As with all secret organizations, it is hard to completely erase. It may have actually made it stronger and stealthier. But I am glad to be away from it. Now that I have developed a personality, I feel alive. Danzou-sama didn't want me to leave, but I knew that it was for the best. After Naruto helped me complete my brother's picture book, I knew that I could never truly embody Danzou-sama's image of a perfect shinobi. I can suppress my emotions, but I can never completely erase them again. I guess I can thank Naruto for assisting me in my career suicide."

Sasuke looks ahead. "We better get back at it. There may not be anything left of Naruto if Sakura finds him first."

Ahead they hear a hound barking. They redouble their efforts to find out what the ninja dogs had found.

* * *

Kakashi and Sakura arrive at the clearing where they find that Sasuke and Sai are already there. What they find is a simple campsite with no signs of a struggle.

Sasuke picks up a backpack and opens it. Pulling out a cup of instant ramen he says, "Looks like this was where Naruto was last. What could have caused him to leave so fast that we would have left his things and not cleared the campsite?"

Kakashi looks to the ninja hound that found the campsite. "Did you find anything around or outside of the campsite?"

"No Kakashi-san. I didn't even find a trail in our out of the campsite. There wasn't anything in the trees or on the ground. It is almost as if the campsite just appeared here. I couldn't even find a chakra scent."

"Thank you. Continue searching. See if you can find anything within a 2 mile radius of this spot."

The dog barks and takes off in a blur. Sakura comes up to Kakashi. "What does this mean? Normally Naruto doesn't even attempt to hide his chakra signature. And there isn't a trail entering or leaving the campsite, but he then didn't clean up before he left. It doesn't make sense."

Before Kakashi can answer, they all hear a dog barking signaling that it found something. As soon as they start after the sound, two dogs in the opposite direction start barking. Then a fourth from another direction started. Before they knew it all of the dogs where barking. Sasuke looks at Kakashi. "What's going on? They can't all have found something at the same time, could they?"

Kakashi stops and flashes a couple of seals and slams his hand on the ground. Within seconds, all of the dogs returned and were waiting attentively. "Report!" One by one, they all reported that they had found Naruto's campsite. Each campsite was identical to the original one. Pakkun was the only one that found anything different.

"Kakashi, the one that I found was devoid of all chakra. Even the plant life seemed to have been drained. It was eerie to say the least. It was almost as if some had sucked the chakra out of the area with a straw."

"We will start there. Move out!"

The shinobi and the dogs all scattered.

* * *

When they arrived at the campsite Pakkun lead them to, they all felt the difference. It was identical in every detail to the campsite that they found first. The only difference was the lack of chakra. There was also a faint trail leading into the campsite. There was no trail leading out.

Sakura looks to Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, what could have caused this?"

"I'm not sure. It is almost as if the chakra in this area was sealed away."

Sasuke looks at Kakashi with a stunned look on his face. "Everyone, move out of the campsite. I have to try something." Everyone moves out of the campsite leaving Sasuke alone. Sasuke goes through a string of about 15 hand seals and yelled at the top of his lungs, "KAIFUU!"

With that, the wind picks up and the heaviness of the air lifts. Sasuke looks drained, but looks directly to Kakashi with an intense glare. "We need to contact Tsunade-sama!"

Sakura stops him. "Just a second, Sasuke. What the hell was that?"

Sasuke stops and explains to the team. "The area was sealed to suppress all chakra. If we had been in that area when it happened, we would have passed out. It is a seal that Kabuto developed and only taught Orochimaru and myself. It takes a full minute to prepare for it, but it will suppress chakra for a full month."

Kakashi looks to Sai. "Send the Hokage a message telling her that Naruto may have been kidnapped by the remnants of the Sound Village. We need as many trackers out as possible. Tell her in person. She needs to know exactly what you have seen."

"Hai!" Sai pulls out a scroll and draws a bird on it. "Ninpou, Choujuu Giga!"

* * *

**Kaifuu – Seal Breaking**

**Ninpou, Choujuu Giga – Ninja Art, Super Beast Imitation Drawing**

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. Please review. I need all the help I can get to do this better. Thank you for reading this chapter. I will do my best to continue to get better. I will try to have chapter 4 up within a week. If I maintain this pace it will be up in about 2 or 3 days.


	4. Can I trust him?

A/N: I struggled with this chapter. I may have bitten of more than I can chew. I apologize for taking so long to update this story, but it was hell.

I really want to thank Reidluver, Narutoboyluver and animefreak469. I really appreciate the reviews. As an incentive to everyone else, if you review, I'll thank you in my author's notes!!

Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Kidnapped

Chapter 4: Can I trust him?

Orochimaru is sitting in his audience chamber listening to the report from his Chuunin. "Orochimaru-sama, they found the genjutsus that we set up to confuse them. The copy ninja had his ninja hounds scouring the area for clues. It seems that they never realized that it was a Genjutsu, as they did not even attempt to dispel them. When they found the campsite that Naruto actually used, the traitor Uchiha Sasuke figured out that we used an area seal to block Naruto's chakra and immobilize him."

Orochimaru licks his lips and chuckles, "Very good, Sasuke-kun. You saw that jutsu only once and you were able to figure it out so quickly. Very impressive. Though I doubt that neither Kakashi nor Sasuke-kun had a problem realizing that they were in a genjutsu, they probably didn't feel like breaking it, in case you were watching. So, are they heading toward this hideout?"

"Not yet Orochimaru-sama. They have sent the Ninpou user, back to Konoha. I have a squad watching them. I will return to them and continue the surveillance. Do you have any orders if they find out that it was you who ordered the attack and kidnapping?"

Orochimaru gives the Chuunin a hungry grin. "Come here, child."

The Chuunin walks steadily and without hesitation to Orochimaru. As he gets close, Orochimaru flings a kunai at him. The kunai cuts his hitai-ate through the village symbol and ricochets into a bookshelf. The Chuunin didn't even bat an eye. "Good, I am glad to see that you trust me implicitly. Attack Kakashi's team. Mark all of the hitai-ates that your team is wearing with the slash through them, as your has. It is preferable if some of your team die in the encounter. Do not leave any wounded members of your team. If they cannot escape, kill them. "

The Chuunin bows and turns to leave. As he gets to the door, Orochimaru calls for him to stop. "Boy, if you had flinched, the kunai would be embedded in your skull. Good job. Do not fail me. Report when there is a change.

The Chuunin nods and leaves the room in a hurry.

Orochimaru laughs to himself and gets up to go to his library.

* * *

"How do you think we can get out of here, Fox?"

"_**If I knew do you think I would have been trapped in here for all these years, Kit?"**_

"Heh, really funny. How long has it been since Orochimaru-teme stopped his experiment?"

"_**About 8 hours."**_

"Not long enough. I haven't been keeping track. How long do you think we have until he gets back?"

"_**Judging by how much time has elapsed between the last 10 experiments, we should be free of him for another 16 hours or so. But he has been spending more and more time on each experiment. So there is no telling. How are you holding up?"**_

"Not too good. Being trapped in this hell and dealing with the pain is really starting to get to me."

"_**Welcome to my world, Kit. And you just said that your mind is hell…"**_

"Shut it, Fox. Wait a minute! This is my mind!"

"_**Ok, he has officially lost it. Kami-teme, did all that I did really equate to this punishment?"**_

"Fox, I'm serious. It is MY mind. I should have control over it. Seals are similar to genjutsu correct?"

"_**Eh, it's a stretch, but okay."**_

"Well, Ero-sennin taught me that genjutsus are actually controlled by the victim. You have the ability to break out of it, if you realize that you are in one. High level genjutsu users, like Kurenai-sensei, are even able to take control of the genjutsu and turn it on their attacker."

"_**Ok Kit, start making some sense."**_

"There is some sort of seal holding me in my own mind, right. But is it keeping me from controlling my mind?"

"_**Kit, you've never had control over your own mind."**_

"SHUT IT, FOX! Maybe if I try to stop my chakra flow into my mind, it will break the seal, like a genjutsu."

"_**It can't hurt. Give it a try."**_

Naruto sits down into the sewer water and calms himself. Bringing two fingers up to his lips he yells, "KAI!" and promptly falls over.

After about an hour he comes to. "Whoa, what happened?"

Kyuubi stretches and yawns, _**"Other than the best nap I've had since this whole ordeal started, noting."**_

"What? You mean it didn't work?"__

"_**Well, Kit, you are trapped in your won mind and you just stopped all chakra to the area where your consciousness was located. You knocked yourself out. Which is quite a feat, when you are already in a coma…"**_

"Damn. I thought that would work. Any ideas?"

"_**Yeah, but you won't like it."**_

"Try me."

"_**Release my seal."**_

"Excuse me. I thought that I just heard the Lord of Hell ask me to release him into the world. Could you say that again, I'm not sure if I heard you correctly?"

"_**You heard me correctly. I said release my seal. It is the only way that I can think of to get us out of here."**_

"You mean, get YOU out of here."

"_**No, I mean us. You spent all of that time with the one person who knows the most about seals in this world and you didn't learn a damn thing about them. You didn't even ask Jiraiya about the seal that imprisons me, did you?"**_

"Not really. I figured that I didn't need to know anything else about it."

"_**We need to give you a lesson. I was sealed in you by the Yondaime Hokage."**_

"I caught that part."

"_**Shut it, class is in session."**_

Naruto sits down and listens.

"_**The Yondaime used a seal that is a variation of the one that the Sandaime used to seal Orochimaru's arms. The Sandaime called upon the Shinigami to take his and Orochimaru's souls into hell and bind them together."**_

Naruto flinches at the pain that the sacrifice that the Sandaime made but continues to pay attention.

_**Kyuubi continues, "The Yondaime made the same sacrifice but instead of taking me to hell, which I am in everyday with you, he sealed hi soul in hell and me into you. He couldn't take me to hell because I am immortal. Little did he know that he got the better end of the deal…"**_

Naruto stands up and faces down the Nine Tailed Fox, "Hey, watch your mouth! You can't talk badly about the Yondaime like that!"

_**Kyuubi just grins and laughs at Naruto. "You just don't get it do you?"**_

"Get what loudmouth?!"

" _**I didn't say anything about the Yondaime. I insulted you."**_

"Huh?"

"_**And that is what has changed me. The way that you never think of yourself, only of others. I didn't think that it was possible for a mere mortal to have any effect on one of us, but you have. Perhaps you aren't just a mere mortal…"**_

"Hell no, I'm not! I've got a Kami-damned demon inside of me!"

Kyuubi just chuckles _**"I'll take that as a compliment. But I was serious. You have a way of making people change. I don't relish the suffering of others the way I used to. I'm not looking forward to destroying Konoha when you are gone. I will probably just go back to hell and leave it alone."**_

Naruto just looks confused at Kyuubi.

"_**Nevermind, back to the lesson. When he sealed me inside you, the Shinigami took him to hell but left me in you the seal is designed to allow you to use my power but keep me inside you."**_

"Well, I knew that much."

"_**I have so much more respect for that Iruka person that you speak so highly of. How the hell did you learn anything interrupting him all the time?"**_

Naruto grins sheepishly. "Well, I did fail at first but passed when I defeated Mizuki."

Kyuubi just shakes his head. _**"One thing that has happened over the years that he didn't count on is that our chakra systems have become entwined and the seal has weakened. As the seal has weakened our chakra systems have become more and more entwined. It is almost to the point where they cannot be separated."**_

Naruto just stares at Kyuubi. "Wait a minute. So are we joining?"

Kyuubi nods back at Naruto. _**"Not yet, but we will. My big problem is that I am not sure if I will exist if we do join. You are the host and I am just a tenant in your body. Your soul will dominate the body. I will have some influence, but I don't think that I will truly exist at that point. I haven't figured it out yet, but you may even take on my immortality."**_

Naruto just stares back at Kyuubi in disbelief. _**"Kami-teme, I take back all of the evil things that I have done. The fool is speechless."**_

Naruto snaps out of it. "Are you serious? I will truly become you? I have worked so hard all of these years to overcome what the villagers see me as only to become it?"

"_**No, listen again. You will dominate the body. I will only be able to influence you. It is more than I can do right now, but you will not become me. Well, you will, but you will be Naru-Kyuubi. I guess officially you will be a demon, but you are as pure as the wind driven snow. You won't be the Kyuubi that the world fears."**_

Naruto squats back down and puts his head in his hands. "This is too much. Are you lying to me?

"_**What? Why would I lie to you? Have I ever lied to you? No! I wouldn't denigrate myself so much as to LIE to you or anyone else."**_

"Give me some time. I need to process this."

"_**Well, take the time that you need, but it is only a matter of time before The Snake returns."**_

* * *

A/N: Well, I wrote and rewrote this chapter several times. I'm still not happy with how it turned out. I wanted it to be longer, but it just wouldn't work out. We'll see how the next chapter turns out. Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter. Please review and give me some suggestions on how to make this story better. I know where I want to go with it, but I am having trouble getting there.


	5. Forgiveness

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto gets paid to write it. I just want a review. Come on you cheapskates! LOL

Kidnapped

Forgiveness

Sakura throws a rock across the pond that they found and watches as it skips across the water, leaving small ripples in its path. She is so focused on her own thoughts that she doesn't hear the intruder sneaking up behind her. As the intruder is about to grab her shoulder, Sakura spins around and throws a punch directly where Sasuke's head was a split second earlier.

"Man, I'm glad I had my Sharingan activated. You could have killed me."

Sakura sniffs and turns back to the pond. "Well, if you wouldn't have tried to sneak up on me, I wouldn't have tried to kill you, Teme. "

"Dammit, Sakura! We are going to work this out right now!"

Sakura flinches at Sasuke's out of character outburst. She shouts back, "What are we going to work out, the fact that you need to stop sneaking up on people?"

"You know damn well what we need to work out. Naruto is in danger and if we can't at least start working things out, he will suffer for it. We won't be able to be a team. He sacrifices so much for us, we can at least talk!"

Sakura recoils as if she had been struck and Sasuke immediately wishes he could take back the implication. "I'm sorry, I overstepped my bounds. Forgive me. But I really feel that we need to work this out."

Sakura walks over to a nearby log and sits down. Drawing up her knees to her chest, she nods and indicates for Sasuke to join her. "Go ahead."

Sasuke joins her on the log. They both sit in silence while Sasuke gathers his thoughts. "I've said I'm sorry. I know that words will never be enough. I have to show you. And I will, I pledge to show you how sorry I am for hurting you."

Sakura cuts him off. "Yes you did hurt me. You dug a kunai directly into my heart. I wished that you had killed me that night… But I am over that. Do you know what you did to Naruto? His one and only thought was to save you. Every moment of every day, he was training to save you. Every lead we got, he insisted that we follow it. His whole life was about you."

Sasuke just sits in silence. "I know. I want to make it up to him. He just forgave me and won't even let me talk about it with him. Every time I try to bring it up, he tells me that it is ancient history. He tells me to forget about it. I can't."

"That's Naruto. He only cares about others."

"But you are doing it too. We have an issue and we need to work it out. I have thought about that night over and over for the past year. I was so wrong to leave you. I tried to break that bond we had. I want to try to get it back."

"You can't."

Sasuke turns his head. Sakura finishes her statement. "It would be impossible to get that bond back, Sasuke. You can't erase the past. You know this. But we can try to build a new bond. It will be hard work, but I am willing to try, if you are."

Sasuke smiles and turns back. "I would like that. Thank you for giving me the chance."

Sakura punches him in the head knocking him about 10 feet from the log.

"What the hell was that for?"

Sakura smiles sweetly. "For knocking me out the night that you left. Would you like me to hit you for the rest of your transgressions?"

Sasuke shakes his head no and puts both arms up to intercept any possible blows coming from the dangerous kunoichi. "No, I deserved that. No complaints!"

Kakashi watches from a nearby tree branch. Looking up from his Bleach manga, he smiles and says, "It's about damn time they had this talk. I'll let her beat him a little more before I break it up."

* * *

Sai leads Team Gai back to the rest of Team Kakashi. Shaking his head, he can't figure out this "Fire of Youth thing that Gai and Rock Lee keep screaming about. One of these days he will have to get Sakura to teach him what it means.

Gai yells out, "We will make it there in 3 more hours or we will do 10,000 push-ups on sharp rocks!"

Lee enthusiastically screams back, "Yes, the flames of youth will give us the strength to meet this motivational goal set by the best sensei in the world!"

TenTen and Neji just roll their eyes. Sai looks to the two same members of Team Gai. "Umm, they don't even know where we are going. We have at least another 8 hours until we meet up with my team."

TenTen smiles at Sai's naïveté. "They do this all the time. It is just a way for them to get extra training in on a mission."

As they are speaking, Gai and Lee sprint ahead. "They still have no idea where they are going. Should we try to catch up with them?"

Neji shakes his head. "There is no use. They wouldn't listen anyway. Gai will find Kakashi. He always does."

* * *

After a couple of minutes, they stop short as they enter a clearing and find Lee and Gai battling a gang of Ame-nin (Ame is short for Amegakure or the Village Hidden in the Rain).

Lee jumps into the air and spin kicks two Ame-nin, knocking them into a thorn covered bush.

Gai spars with three others trading blows and laughing. "Ahhh, Lee, can you feel the flames of youth? This is a perfect way to test ourselves. But we can't let this change our goal of 3 hours to make it to Kakashi."

"Right, Gai-sensei! We will defeat these opponents and continue on our way at double, nay triple speed!"

"I like your style, Lee. Now, let's finish these guys and continue on our way."

The three Leaf shinobi were about to join the fight when their attention was pulled away by another Ame-nin joining the fight from their flank.

Sai quickly pulled out a scroll and drew several lions on the page. "Ninpou, Choujuu Giga!"

The lions charge the approaching ninja. Seeing them coming he extends his arms and snakes fly out of his sleeves making short work of the living art.

The newcomer laughs and points at the three stunned shinobi. "Is that all you have? You are even more pathetic than our intel says that you were! Come; let me send you to the afterlife."

TenTen grits her teeth. "You will NOT underestimate us!"

With that, she launches a barrage of kunai and charges quickly in behind the projectiles.

The majority of the kunai pierce the cocky shinobi but he disappears in a puff of smoke to be replaced by a log.

TenTen reaches the replacement and immediately goes to her defensive stance, looking for her opponent. Out of the bushes from her right she hears, "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Seeing she has no chance of getting out of the way before it gets to her, she feebly puts both arms up in front of her face.

Right before the fireball erupts around her, Neji lands in front of her and yeall, "KAITEN!" Spinning around in a tight circle, he dissipates the fireball. An intense wave of heat hits the powerful weapons master and does little more damage than a mild sunburn.

"Thanks Neji, I was toast."

Neji nods and heads into the bushes where the fireball came from. TenTen backs him up, following about 15 feet behind and to Neji's left.

Meanwhile, Sai has drawn a large bird and several smaller ones. Flying from about 50 feet above the canopy, he scans for their opponent. Suddenly he sees the Ame-nin jump through the trees leading the two ground based shinobi away from the fighting. Sai flies ahead and scouts to see where they are being lead.

* * *

"Quit running you coward!"

"TenTen, we are purposely being lead away from Gai and Lee. We should disengage and go back to aid them."

"They're fine. They were handling themselves when we left. Besides, Lee has the fires of youth burning in his soul. There is no way that he can lose." At this TenTen giggles and Neji cracks a small smile.

"Keep you eyes peeled. We may be being lead into a…"

At this, they both stop in a clearing where fifty Ame-nin are waiting for them.

"Trap." TenTen finishes Neji's sentence.

The Ame-nin that they were chasing laughs and points at the two Leaf shinobi. "Thank you for following me to visit with my friends here. It was so kind of you to leave your support behind. Please, enjoy my master's hospitality."

Right before he can give the order to attack, fifty lions leap into the clearing and attack the ambushing shinobi. Out of the sky, ten birds dive bomb the leader with Sai close behind.

TenTen looks to Neji. "He's handy to have around in a battle."

"Yes, Team Kakashi is lucky to have him as a member."

The lions make short work of the ambushing shinobi, but the leader takes out the birds and lions quickly after that, leaving an inky mess all over the battlefield.

"Ambushing my own ambush. How clever. We will meet again." And with that the leader disappears in a puff of smoke.

Sai soars back into the air and scans for the retreating shinobi fruitlessly.

Coming back down, he dismisses his bird and shakes his head at Neji.

"There is no sign of him anywhere. We should head back to Gai."

Neji and TenTen nod and they all head back.

* * *

"Lee, now that is a good workout. It is just too bad that there weren't anymore of them. I was just starting to work up a good sweat."

Lee clenches his fist and triumphantly screams, "Hai, Gai-sensei! The fires of youth will always prevail over the forces of evil!"

Neji, TenTen and Sai make there way and land next to the two green-clad shinobi.

Gai looks towards them in confusion. "Were you that far behind us that you are just arriving?"

Neji shakes his head at his former sensei's obliviousness. "No Gai-sensei, we followed the leader of this group and fought another contingent of Ame-nin. Speaking of, what are they doing so far from their territory and why did they attack us?"

Sai speaks up. "We assumed that it was Orochimaru's forces that kidnapped Naruto, perhaps we were wrong."

Gai rubs his chin. "Well, there is nothing we can do from here. We should triple our efforts and get to Kakashi as quickly as possible. Let's go Lee! We still have to keep our promise and make it to Kakashi in just 2 more hours!"

Lee pumps his fist into the air and screams, "Hai, Gai-sensei! In this, we shall prevail."

The two boisterous shinobi take off at break neck speed.

Sai looks bewildered and turns to Neji. "Are those two brain-damaged?"

Neji smiles and TenTen giggles. Neji responds, "No, they are just that way. Let's try to catch up with them.

A/N: Well, I felt stronger about this chapter than I did the last one. Do me a favor and take a second to write a quick review after you read a chapter. It only takes a second. Good bad or indifferent, it will help me to write a better story. So far I have only had 4 reviewers leave 8 reviews. I really appreciate those reviews from Reidluver, Narutoboyluver and animefreak469. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox. Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed it!


	6. Evolution

Kidnapped

Chapter 6: Evolution

"Chishio Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Three Narutos appear on the three previously empty tables in the room.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Two more Kabutos/Orochimarus (for those that haven't caught on, Kabuto is the most recent vessel for Orochimaru, serves him right for trying to use Orochimaru's DNA to get stronger; from this point on, I probably won't even refer to Kabuto again) appear next to those tables.

"I'm sorry to do this, but time seems to be running short for us. Desperate times call for desperate measures. There is good news and bad news. The good news is that this will hurt you MUCH more than it will hurt me. The bad news is that I don't have your chakra reserves yet. So I will not be able to take as much time as I would like. That is why the three of me will be doing for different procedures. I am sure that your wonderful sensei taught you that you can learn things so much faster using your Kage Bunshins. You should have been able to figure it our on your own, but you have never been known as the most intelligent of students. Now, hold still. This is going to hurt… a lot."

Orochimaru licks his lips and all three begin cutting into their respective specimens.

* * *

Naruto and Kyuubi both howl in pain.

"We've got to stop this."

"_**There is only one way, but we can't do it now."**_

"Why the hell not?!"

"_**Our chakra is split among the three clones and ourselves. That on top of the trauma makes it impossible."**_

"What do we do after I release the seal?"

"_**That is up to you. I won't be able to have this interaction with you."**_

"Huh? What are you talking about?"__

"_**I will fade back into your consciousness as nothing more than a primal urge. I will be much stronger than one, but it will seem to you like nothing more than an intense urge."**_

"What else will happen?"

_**Kyuubi hesitates. "You will become a half-demon."**_

"Heh, well most people already think that I am a whole one. Will I change physically?"

"_**Yes, though I have no idea how drastic it will be."**_

"Anything else that I need to know?"

"_**Nothing else that I know of. This isn't exactly a common occurrence."**_

"When should we do this?"

"_**I'll let you know."**_

"Right."

* * *

The three blood clones disappear as do the two shadow clones.

Orochimaru wipes the sweat from his forehead, smearing blood across his face.

Panting heavily, "I am done with you for now. But I will be back soon."

Orochimaru leaves the room and heads for his bath, deep inside the current hideout.

"I'm so lucky that this hideout was built around an underground, natural hot spring."

Orochimaru slides into the water and lets it take the cramps out of his muscles.

"Maybe I overdid it. This will take a couple of days for me to recover from. Kabuto was extremely intelligent, but he was far from the perfect vessel. He should be commended though. Now that I know just how weak he was, I am impressed that he accomplished all that he did without ever complaining once. The struggle of devouring his consciousness was delicious."

Orochimaru licks his lips as he goes over the disgusting memory.

As he soaks, the Chuunin walks into his sanctum.

"Ah, you are back. What news do you have for me?"

The Chuunin kneels and answers. "We attacked them and all of my force was destroyed."

"Did you order them to wear those hitai-ates that I told you to provide them?"

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."

"Good, you have done well. You should be rewarded. Come, I would like to be able to see you."

The Chuunin walks over to the other side of the pool and returns to a kneeling position.

Orochimaru smiles, which causes the Chuunin to flinch.

Orochimaru's head flies in the direction of the kneeling shinobi. The shinobi doesn't even have time to feel fear before Orochimaru's fangs pierce his flesh on the back of his shoulder.

After a moment, Orochimaru withdraws and waits for the shinobi to react.

The Chuunin falls to the floor and writhes in pain.

"If you survive, be sure to thank me. That is a much stronger curse mark than I gave Sasuke-kun. You are a very lucky young man. By the way, you are now a Jounin."

The newly promoted shinobi stops convulsing and goes very still. His breathing stops and seems very dead.

"Now, we wait. Ahhh, this is such a nice bath…"

Naruto wheezes. "I can't even focus."

"_**I have no idea how he was able to accomplish that. I'm sorry, but we can't attempt it yet."**_

"What can we do?"

"_**All that we can do is endure and wait for an opportunity. "**_

"You are freakin' kidding me!"

"_**Believe me. There is no way that I want to go through that shit again. Even the Lord of Hell hates RECEIVING pain."**_

"Dammit. Anyway, what do I need to do when it is time?"

"_**That is the easy part. Just reach up and remove my seal. Then be ready for the worst pain of your life."**_

"Lots of pain got it. Not like I'm not used to that already. Why will it be so painful?"

"_**This entire time, I have been trapped in this tiny cage. Once the seal is removed, I will invade every cell in your body. It could kill you. I am pretty sure that you will be able to handle it though."**_

"Pretty sure?! That's not very comforting!"

"_**That's the best I can give you. Look, you have had me in your body for your entire life. It is acclimated to my power. You have a much better chance than a normal human would. Besides, if you don't, Orochimaru will probably kill us. At least this way, we have a chance."**_

"Dammit. Well, that's it. I've got to do it. Just let me know when it is time."

"_**Heh, Kit. I'll give it to you. No matter what, once you set your mind to something, you go through with it."**_

"That's me, the knuckleheaded idiot that never knows when to stop."

"_**Pretty much."**_

"Why do you pick this one time to agree with me?"

"_**To piss you off."**_

"Figures…"

"_**Oh yeah, one question."**_

"Huh?"

"_**Why are we still in a sewer? You're making this harder on yourself than it has to be."**_

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Kyuubi just stares with his mouth agape.

"If you keep your mouth open like that, a fly might fly in."

Kyuubi snaps his mouth shut. _**"You mean that you never realized?!"**_

Naruto growls at being left in the dark, "Realized what, fox?"

"**_That you can change this landscape."_**

"HUH?!"

"_**This is YOUR mind. You have complete control over it. I always assumed that this was your way of punishing me for killing so many villagers."**_

"Wait a minute. I can control this? How do I do that?"

"_**This is hilarious. Just decide what you want this landscape to be. You can even move my cage anywhere that you want."**_

Naruto concentrates and moves Kyuubi's cage to the other side of the room. "COOL!"

Kyuubi just shakes his head. _**"Just when I think that he has a lick of sense, he reminds me that he is Uzumaki Naruto."**_

"Like you had nothing to do with me being this way. Do you think that I had a chance in hell of being 'well adjusted' with YOU inside of me?"

"_**Point taken."**_

Naruto plays around with his newfound "ability". He finally decides on the Team 7 training ground as the landscape he likes best.

The one constant is Kyuubi's cage. No matter what, Naruto can't change anything about it. He first attempted to make the bars translucent, then he tried to change the shape of the bars. Nothing worked.

"_**It looks as if the cage is the representation of seal itself."**_

"Sorry, fox. I tried."

"_**Heh, you are an idiot. No one else would even care. Why are you like you are?"**_

Naruto thinks about it for a minute. "I guess to counterbalance you."

This struck Kyuubi like a ton of bricks. _**"You have strokes of brilliance occasionally. It must be a side effect of the seal. He must have put it there to protect you from my influence."**_

"Maybe."

"_**You will need to rest. He will be back. I will do my best to block as much of it as possible."**_

"Right."

The newly promoted Jounin wakes up next to the pool that Orochimaru was previously bathing in. He tries to stand up but a wave of pain over takes him. He vomits and then masters himself. He reaches back and feels a slightly raised mark on his shoulder.

Standing he feels an uncontrollable urge to leave the room. He wanders the halls searching for something. He has no idea what that something is. He just knows that he must find it. Nothing can stop him.

After an hour of searching fruitlessly, he comes upon Orochimaru's private chambers. He knows that this is where he needs to be.

As he raises his hand to knock on the door he hears the command to enter.

"Come in, child."

He enters and kneels in front of the seated form of Orochimaru.

"How does it feel?"

"It is incredible, Orochimaru-sama. I can see in detail I could have never imagined. I can hear everything and I can feel even the beating of the heart of the mouse hiding behind the western wall of this room."

"Good. You have been given my most powerful curse mark yet. Keep it under control. Now for your assignment."

The shinobi raises his eyes to Orochimaru.

"Follow those Konoha shinobi. Do not engage them. Report back to me with anything of significance."

"May I kill them if they notice me?"

"Only one or two of them, but if they notice you, I may kill you myself. Follow them and report back to me."

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama."

With that, the Jounin disappears in a puff of smoke.

"Let's see how long it takes them to come here. Are you as cunning as I think you are, Sasuke-kun?"

Orochimaru gets up and heads out the door. He walks down the hall until he gets to Naruto's laboratory. He doesn't enter. He just places his hand on the door and chuckles.

"Rest well. We will start again soon. I will own that power, and your precious Konoha will fall."

Naruto gets a sudden unease. "He is near. I will defeat him. I will protect my precious people. He will not hurt my nakama!"

Kyuubi slightly lifts one eyelid. _**"Go back to sleep. We will get him soon."**_

A/N: I want to start by thanking PirateQueen12, animefreak469 and vash3055 for reviewing Chapter 5. NaruHina was mentioned as a pairing. While that is my favorite pairing (although I really love NaruSaku and NaruIno almost as much), I don't think that this story is correct for any type of romantic involvement. I may make that my next story though.

Okay, back to the chapter. I went back to the dark side of things. As I mentioned in this chapter, Kabuto took a part of Orochimaru's DNA and implanted it into himself, thinking he could gain some of Orochimaru's power. This gave Orochimaru the ability to be reborn. There was some confusion earlier in the story as to why I was switching between Orochimaru and Kabuto freely. I hope that this explains things.

Oh yeah, "nakama" means a friend that is even close than a sibling. Just in case you didn't watch ALL of the filler episodes. LOL.

Please take a moment and review. I'll immortalize your name and thank you in my next author's note. I appreciate the time you take to read my story. I hope that you appreciate the time that I took to write the chapter and take a minute to write a review.

I hope that you enjoyed it. I will do my best on the next chapter. I hope I can have it up soon.


	7. Joining Forces

A/N: Sorry that it took me so long to update. Life happens. I will try to update sooner.

Kidnapped

Chapter 7: Joining Forces

"Oh great…"

Sakura looks up from the cook fire. "What is it Kakashi-sensei?"

"The cavalry is arriving."

At that moment, 2 green blurs come rushing into the campsite. "That was a great run, Lee. You are really improving!"

Tears stream down Lee's face at the praise from his hero. "Thank you Gai-sensei!"

Gai rubs his chin, "Although, we didn't make it here in our prescribed time. We should train ourselves harder to be able to go faster."

Lee strikes the "nice-guy" pose. "Not a problem Gai-sensei. I will do 10,000 pushups while doing a handstand. If I fail, I will do 20,000 upside down crunches from that tree."

"That's the spirit, Lee. But being your sensei, I should set the standard. I will do 15,000 of your pushups!" Gai strikes a nice guy pose as well.

Sasuke looks over to Kakashi. "Should we inform them of what we know?"

Kakashi sighs and goes back to reading his Bleach manga. "It won't do any good. We'll just wait for them to finish."

* * *

A half hour later, the other three shinobi bound into the campsite. Seeing their teammate and their sensei training, Neji and TenTen just shake their heads and join Team 7. Neji looks to Kakashi. "Who wants to go first?"

"What do you know already?"

"All Tsunade-sama told us was that Naruto was in a lot of trouble and that we needed to join Team 7 in aiding him. She is sending out ANBU to aid in the search, but they are looking closer to home and in the opposite direction."

Kakashi snaps his book shut. "Naruto has been captured."

Neji and TenTen just stare in confusion. Neji breaks the silence. "How, and by whom? Has Akatsuki reformed?"

Sasuke joins in. "We think that it was Kabuto. He most likely is looking for a way to perform Orochimaru's experiments and gain some measure of power from Naruto. Or it could be for some other reason that I haven't puzzled out yet."

TenTen joins in. "That's strange. We were attacked on our way out here by shinobi from Amegakure. We assumed that Naruto was in trouble with them."

Team 7 looks at each other in confusion. Sakura is the first to speak. "Has Kabuto joined forces with Amegakure? That doesn't seem like him?"

Sasuke shakes his head. "It doesn't make sense. Kabuto wouldn't subjugate all the power he gained from taking over the Sound for an alliance with Amegakure. He might do it to survive if he was threatened, but I'm not sure."

A thoughtful silence envelops the group, punctuated by the occasional grunt or motivational comment from Gai and Lee.

Kakashi breaks the silence first. "Well, we have to assume the worst. Kabuto has formed an alliance with Amegakure and they are restarting their plan. Naruto was the last Jinchuuriki (demon container) for Akatsuki to take. And we never found where they had the bijuu (demons) stored. "

Sasuke stands. "Well, what are we waiting for? Naruto's in trouble and we need to find him!"

Sakura stands next to her teammate and Sai follows her lead.

Neji, ever the pragmatic one, throws the proverbial bucket of cold water on their hopes. "Do you have any idea where to go?"

Sasuke, not one to be defeated, stares defiantly at the Hyuuga prodigy. "We have to go with our leads. They used a jutsu that Kabuto would not have shared with Amegakure. We have to look for him with the Sound."

Neji nods and Sakura shares Sasuke's determined look. Kakashi pulls a map out of his ninja pack. "Show us where to look."

Sasuke opens the map and everyone gathers around. Using a pebble, Sasuke marks several places on the map.

"This is where Naruto was captured. Here are the 5 closest hidden hideouts. It would make sense that they would take Naruto to the closest one, here. But it isn't as well equipped as this one. It is only a few miles further away. I say, we go to the one that is better equipped."

Kakashi scratches his chin through his mask. "A good assessment. You are the expert, Sasuke. We will follow your lead on this."

The two teams make an inventory of their ninja gear. TenTen passes out more scrolls that have extra weapons stored in them.

Kakashi looks to Sai. "I want you and Sasuke to take one of your birds and scout ahead. You can handle that?"

Sai nods and draws a bird on his scroll and places two fingers in front of his lips. "Ninpou: Choujuu Giga." A bird lifts off the page and Sai leaps onto it.

Kakashi looks to Sasuke. "Let us know everything that you see. I would send Neji, but you know the layout better."

Sasuke nods. "I won't let them hurt him. He didn't give up on me."

Kakashi nods and Sasuke leaps onto the bird.

Sasuke nods to Sai and they takeoff.

Sakura walks up to Kakashi. "Don't worry, Sakura. We'll find him."

Sakura only nods and maintains her silence.

Gai and Lee join the group. "So, what's up?"

Kakashi just puts his face in his hand and shakes his head.

* * *

Sai and Sasuke soar a hundred feet over the treetops.

"You are worried."

It was a statement. Not an accusation or a question.

Sasuke keeps staring at the treetops. After a moments silence, Sasuke answers, never taking his eyes off the treetops.

"He never gave up on me. Everyone else did. Well, maybe not Sakura and Kakashi, but no one cared more about me than Naruto."

Sasuke takes another moment. "I was in my own hell that I created. He lead me out of the darkness. If it weren't for Naruto, I would have died there. If I wasn't killed by another shinobi, I would have taken my own life."

Sai stares at Sasuke at that proclamation. "Suicide?"

Sasuke nods. "I killed my brother. He didn't do the crime that I was lead to believe that he did. He protected the Uchiha name at the detriment to his own. He was a hero of Konoha, who will never be acknowledged as one. I killed him. I didn't deserve to live. I tried to cut all ties, but the teme wouldn't let me cut his."

They continued on in silence. Sasuke never let his eyes come off the forest. Sasuke clenches his fist. "I won't let the bond be cut."

* * *

Team 7 and Team Gai are bouncing from tree to tree with Kakashi and Neji leading the way. Gai and Lee tried unsuccessfully to convince Kakashi to allow them to sprint to the next location, but Kakashi would have none of it.

"We are looking for stealth. If we can catch them off guard, then we have a better chance of finding Naruto alive."

Gai pouted but fell into place behind Kakashi.

TenTen is in place next to Sakura. "Okay, cut the silence. I can't stand it."

Sakura awakes from her reverie. "What? Did I miss something?"

TenTen shakes her head. "No, what are you thinking so hard about? You look like you are gonna bite through your bottom lip."

Sakura shakes her head. "It's nothing."

"Bullshit. You've been quieter in the last hour than you have been in the last month."

Sakura giggles. "You got me. I'm just worried about Naruto. We'll find him."

TenTen nods. "How are you and tall, dark and emo?"

Sakura giggles again. "We are fine. I think that I can start to trust him again. But it will be a while before I can fully."

"Well, if you are going to make a move, you better do it quick. There are about a thousand girls back in Konoha that are restarting the Sasuke Fan Club."

"Well, they can have him. I will be happy with friendship."

TenTen gives her a glance and raises her eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really! I'm not 12 anymore. I don't think that I could ever like him in that way again."

"But have you caught a look at his chest in the gi? HOT!"

Sakura giggles. "Of course I have. And yes, he is hot, but I can't do that again. That part of my life is over."

"Too bad Ino is dating Chouji. She would have an easy shot at him then. HAHAHA!"

"She is happy with Chouji. He treats her like a princess. She wouldn't dare leave that for any handsome guy."

"I know what you mean. She adores him. At least someone convinced her to come off of her perpetual diet. HEHEHE!"

Sakura grins. "Only Chouji had the ability to show her just how beautiful she really is. She is lucky."

TenTen get a mischievous grin. "What about you?"

"What about me, what?"

"Do you have any love interests?"

Sakura blushes. "When do I have time? When I'm not on a mission, I'm at the hospital. When I'm not at the hospital, Tsunade-sama is beating me to death at the practice fields. When do I have time to meet a guy?"

TenTen giggles. "There is always Naruto."

Sakura almost misses the next branch. "WHAT?!"

"Well, you do spend a lot of time together. I think that I even saw you two at Ichiraku a couple weeks ago."

"Huh? We had just finished a mission and were starving."

"So, there are a thousand restaurants in Konoha. And you chose to eat ramen. Not exactly your favorite food, is it?"

Sakura laughs. "No, but it was on the way."

TenTen shrugs but leaves it with one last thought. "Suit yourself, but he has followed you your whole life. I wonder if he will ever notice the fact that Hinata has a crush on him."

With that, TenTen leaps ahead, leaving Sakura to her thoughts.

"Naruto and Hinata?"

For the first time ever, Sakura contemplates what it would be like to not have Naruto near her.

* * *

Orochimaru looks over the report that was handed to him.

"They are on the move again. And it seems that Sasuke-kun remembers where our hideouts are located as well."

Orochimaru licks his lips with that long purple tongue.

"How delicious."

A/N: Alright, I know it was a little on the short side. This was an incredibly hard chapter to write. Part of the reason why it was so late was because I kept putting it off. I had no idea how to put this on paper. Any criticism is welcome. I need it! LOL.

This was my first attempt at "girl talk." Being a guy, I have limited experience with that. LOL. I know, this is a dark fic. I hope that I don't get flamed for not keeping it dark all of the time. I thought that this would help develop the characters a little. Hopefully it was a good chapter.

Also, I always like to give props to those who take the time to write a review. I would like to thank Reidluver, Narutoboyluver, Yuffie's Ninja Insanity and PirateQueen12! Thank you very much for the reviews. I want to give you guys the best story possible. I am not above begging for feedback!! LOL.

One last thing. I wanted to mention that the Chishio Bunshin no Jutsu (Blood Clone Jutsu) wasn't my creation. I stole, erhm, I mean was inspired by Xavon Wrentail's story "A Growing Affection." The main idea is the same, but our Blood Clones are a bit different. Give that story a try. I loved it!

Thank you for reading. I really hope that you take a moment and review. Hopefully, I will have another dark chapter up soon.


	8. Where is he?

Kidnapped

Chapter 8: Where is he?

"YAAA! When is this sadist gonna stop!"

Kyuubi growls though the bars, **_"When he is finished obviously!"_**

"What the fuck does he want?! "

**_"Damn, you are dense. Just when I think that there is hope for you, you go and ask stupid question like that. He wants my power."_**

"Then why the hell does he keep torturing me?

**_"He isn't trying to torture you. It's just an added bonus. He's studying your body and chakra network to make sure that he can assimilate himself into you like he tried with Sasuke."_**

"Well, this sucks regardless."

* * *

Orochimaru licks his lips and dispels both the Blood Clones and his Shadow Clones. "I think that that will do. I have enough information to proceed. Hmmm, it's too bad that you can't hear me. I would just relish the opportunity to see the look on your face when I tell you that you will be my next container."

Orochimaru laughs evilly. "Hehehe, I just love irony. The demon container will be my container as well. I hope that Kyuubi doesn't mind sharing his cage with you. I don't plan on taking the guest bedroom. The Master Suite is mine."

Orochimaru walks to the door and clicks the light off. You have two more days to hold onto your body, boy. Then, it is mine. For now, I will rest. I can't leave anything up to chance like I did with Sasuke-kun. You know what they say, once bitten…"

Orochimaru leaves the room and leaves Naruto's apparently lifeless body by itself in the dark…

Sasuke leads the group down a corridor in the dark and damp underground facility. His Sharingan is activated and detects anything moving around him. So far, it has just been one rat, which was dispatched, just to be safe.

Lee walks silently behind Sasuke, refraining from making utterances about flames or youth. TenTen is next holding a kunai and keeping her free hand near a weapons scroll, while Sai pads softly along behind her.

Sakura and Neji walk next to each other. Neji has his Byakugan and is keeping an eye on the area well ahead and also behind the group. Sakura keeps his blind spot covered from any sneak attacks.

Kakashi and Gai take rearguard. To augment the team, Sai sent out small mice from his scroll. None have reported back.

"Stop." Neji intoned.

The group all stops and looks to him for what is going on.

"A small group of shinobi has come to the complex entrance behind us. They aren't making any attempt to maintain secrecy, even though they have eluded my vision until they came to the entrance. There are six of them."

Sasuke looks to Neji. "Do they have any identifying markings."

Neji nods. "Otogakure."

Gai pipes in, "We can set up an ambush."

Sasuke shakes his head. "No good. They know this place better than we all do, even me."

Sakura raises an eyebrow. "You only spent a couple years in these places. How the hell do you not know your way around?"

Sasuke chuckles. "I didn't exactly give a rat's ass at the time about the drapery. I was training to kill my brother." Sasuke frowns in remembrance of the worst decision he ever made.

Sakura lowers her eyes. "I'm sorry, that was rude."

Kakashi almost swallowed his tongue when he heard Sakura apologize to the man that she had tormented for so long. She was even more forgiving that he had given her credit for.

Neji, ever pragmatic, broke in. "What do you suggest then?"

"Fight our way back out. They have the advantage down here. We have to get to a battleground of our choosing."

Sai nods. "Do you know of a secret exit?"

Sasuke shakes his head. "Orochimaru never would tell me. He was always afraid that I would come to my senses and try to escape. He should have realized that I would have just walked out the front door if I ever wanted to leave. The moron."

Sakura and TenTen giggled at how much Naruto had rubbed off on Sasuke in such a short period of time.

Kakashi steps in. "Let's setup a lineup. Lee and Gai take point. Sakura and TenTen will back them up. Sai will follow after them with Neji supporting him. Sasuke and I will take the rearguard."

Sasuke shakes his head no. "I'll take point alone."

Kakashi humors him. "Why?"

"I may recognize the attackers. I can call back their specialties and give you guys valuable information. I can handle anyone Kabuto sends at me."

Kakashi nods, "That is sound (no pun intended). Sakura will back you up. Lee and Gai will follow behind and TenTen will move to the rearguard with me."

Sasuke makes to argue, but Sakura puts her hand on his shoulder. "Just don't get in my way, baka." Sakura winks and pulls her gloves tighter.

Sasuke takes the hint. "Together."

Sakura smiles. "They are gonna get beat, bad!"

* * *

The group forms up and moves back to the entrance. Near the entrance, they hear laughter.

"Come on out, Sasuke. It has been so long since we've played."

Sasuke freezes. "That son of a bitch."

Sakura looks at Sasuke puzzled.

Sasuke shakes his head. "It's Okubo. Earth Element user and a sick bastard. He gets off on torturing children and women. I should have killed him when I had a chance. Dammit."

Sakura stands forward. "Let's kill the bastard then."

Sasuke smiles. "Follow behind me. I will try to capture him in a genjutsu. Follow behind when I tell you too and dispatch him. He was almost as bad with genjutsu as Naruto is."

Sakura nods and falls in behind Sasuke.

Sasuke walks out into the open air outside the complex. "Okubo, where the hell is Naruto?"

"Where is Naruto? I'm not sure I know what you're talking about. We are just investigating someone walking around one of Oro, Kabuto-sama's hideouts. I should have known it was you."

"I'm not buying it. I'll give you one more chance, where did Kabuto take Naruto?"

Okubo cracks his knuckles. "It looks like we are going to get the chance to spar again after all. And you said you would never waste your time with me again. Kukuku."

As Sasuke is about to reply, Okubo inclines his head to one side and three shinobi launch shuriken at Sasuke's 'exposed ' flank.

Sasuke simply draws his katana and knocks them out of the air, launching three back at their owners. They were prepared and easily deflected them. Sasuke's Sharingan comes to life and he directs the genjutsu at Okubo.

Okubo immediately relaxed and had a vacant look on his face.

Sakura takes her chance and sprints to Okubo with a chakra charged fist trailing behind her.

At the last second, Sasuke yells, "Sakura, no! It's a trick!"

Okubo smiles and lifts both arms in Sakura's direction and snakes fly out of his sleeves.

Sakura lifts both arms up to protect her neck and face from the impending bites. Sasuke flashes ahead of Sakura and cuts the snakes with his katana. "Not today, asshole. I will protect my nakama."

Okubo smirks. "That was just to get you in range." Okubo flashes two handsigns and claps his hands together. Rocks fly up from the ground directly in front of Okubo and slam into Sasuke and Sakura.

"Konoha senpu!" Gai and Lee both scream together and try a double Konoha Whirlwind attack. Okubo leaps away, but their real objective was achieved. Kakashi and Sai leap to shield Sasuke and Sakura from any further attacks, while Neji and TenTen move into an attack position.

"Why didn't you get out of the way, baka? I know you saw what he was going to do!"

"Because, Sakura, you didn't. I won't let my teammates take an attack when I can help them. I took some of the attack so you wouldn't have to."

Sakura just shook her head. "I can handle myself."

Sasuke smiled. "I know, and you would have done the same for me. Let's get him."

Sakura smiled evilly. "Now, you're talkin'!"

* * *

Neji and TenTen leap at a pair of shinobi. TenTen opens a scroll and pumps some chakra in it as she weaves it around her body and through the air in an intricate pattern. "Kai!" Several thousand shuriken, kunai and bowling balls launch themselves at the unfortunate shinobi. The three get pierced and bludgeoned to death.

"Bowling balls?" Neji said flatly with arched eyebrows.

"What? I ran out of weapons. But did you see the look on their faces?" TenTen flashed a V or victory.

Neji just shook his head and they went in search of more opponents.

Gai and Lee rush headlong into a group of six shinobi. "I'm so glad that Neji was wrong. I was worried that we wouldn't get a chance to get a workout in."

"Gai-sensei, you are always so motivational! Let's show them how the flame of youth burn bright in us and gives us the power to defeat all opponents!"

"Well-said, Lee! You are a fine shinobi! I'm sure that one day you will surpass me and become Konoha's Lean Green Machine!"

Lee literally starts crying at the praise of his mentor. So much so that he doesn't see the fireball that was aimed at him.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Gai summons a tortoise as large as a small hut, which blocked the impending doom.

"He still can't use Ninjutsu, huh?" the tortoise intoned.

"Nope, but we are working on it. I'm sure that he was very close to doing a henge last week."

The tortoise chuckles. "Try not to summon me to block fireballs. It doesn't exactly feel good."

"I'll take that under advisement. Thank you Kame-kichi. You can head back to the island."

Kame-kichi smiles and poofs out in a puff of smoke.

"Maybe we have a while before you are ready for that title."

Lee pouts but then uses the negative feedback as motivation to defeat the shinobi in front of them. Lee took off in a flash and the six shinobi found themselves in a world of hurt. Lee smashed the first in the temple so hard that his brains exploded out o his ear on the opposite side.

The next, in shock at how fast Lee made it over to their position didn't even realize that he was dead until he saw his body still standing as his head rolled on the ground beside its body. It tried to scream, but without lungs, it's a little difficult.

The other four fled. Lee intercepted one of the attackers and knocked him unconscious. As he was about to take of after the others, Gai stops him. "Let them go. We have more to take care of here." Gai looks at the decapitated attacker whose body was still standing. "Nice move. You'll have to teach it to me."

Lee was so moved that he broke into tears again. "Lee, we are in the middle of a battle."

Lee wipes away the tears. "Right Gai-sensei! I will atone after the battle with 10,000 sit-ups."

Gai smiles. "That's the spirit, Lee! I will do 15,000 since I didn't teach you well enough not to cry during battle!"

* * *

Sai draws four falcons and brings them off the scroll, "Ninpou, Choujuu Giga!" The falcons fly off the page and Sai directs them to attack Okubo. As the falcons scream in, Kakashi follows up with a water dragon.

Okubo laughs and swats the four falcon's out of the air leaving an inky mess all over the ground in front of him. He slams his fist into the ground, which brings a wall up directly in the path of the charging water dragon. The dragon slams into the earthen wall and both explode causing mud to go everywhere.

"Come on! You are supposed to be Hatake, the Copy Ninja! Give me something that I actually have to worry about!"

Kakashi smiles, "Domo arrigato. Doton: Doro Uzumaki (Earth Style, Mud Whirlpool)"

The mud formed by the water dragon and earth wall starts churning and forms a whirlpool beneath Okubo. Okubo stops laughing and realizes what has happened. Before he can jump out, he is sucked down to his knees in mud. "Very interesting technique. I'll try to remember it."

Kakashi shakes his head. "Your file says that you are a moron and that you have a hard time learning techniques even using your primary element."

Okubo growls. "I'll show you who the moron is."

Okubo dives into the mud and disappears beneath the surface, only to reappear behind Kakashi. "I've got you!" Okubo drives a kunai into Kakashi's kidney.

Kakashi smiles again. "Domo arrigato. You are too kind to me." Then Kakashi dissolves into a blob of water which wraps itself around Okubo's arm enveloping him in a huge bubble of water.

Okubo, instead of panicking, flashes a couple of handsigns and another shower of rocks flies into the water bubble, bursting it. "You had better do better than that."

"CHIDORI!"

Sasuke drives his Chidori charged fist through Okubo's chest, narrowly missing his heart.

Okubo chuckles. "Well, that was certainly unexpected." Okubo coughs up blood. "It looks like you win this spar, but I will see you soon."

Okubo dissolves into the ground. Sakura drives her fist into the ground where he disappeared, but he was already gone.

"DAMMIT! We almost had him." Sakura screamed.

"Don't worry, Pinky. We learned a lot there. I know where to go now."

Sakura's eye twitched. "Did you just call me 'Pinky'?" She cracks her knuckles and gives Sasuke a look that would kill most full grown men.

Sasuke gulped. "Shit. This is gonna su…"

At that moment Sasuke flew through a nearby tree and crashed into a rock, breaking it in half. "Ouch."

As Sakura was about to go finish the job, Kakashi stops her. "I think that he said that he knows where Naruto is. Maybe we should hear him out before you squish him?" Kakashi smiled at her beneath his mask.

"He better be right or I am going to make his death even slower."

"I'm sure that he will be right." Kakashi gulps and thinks to himself, _"I hope that he's right."_

Sasuke drags himself back to the group. "How the hell does Naruto survive this kind of abuse?"

TenTen smiles. "Easy, because he is as hardheaded as you are!"

Sasuke gives TenTen his best impression of Sai's fake smile.

At that moment, Gai and Lee drag a semi-conscious shinobi into the clearing. "We have a prisoner."

Kakashi smiles, "Too bad we don't have Ibiki here with us. He would have our answers quicker than we can get it out of him."

Sasuke smiles. "I might have a way."

Gai and Lee hold the captive between them and lift his head up to look at Sasuke. Sasuke activates his Sharingan and puts the captive in a genjutsu.

* * *

Inside the illusion, Sasuke walks up to the captive. "Where is Uzumaki Naruto?"

The captive shakes his head, "You can't make me talk."

Sasuke smiles, "I think that I can. What happened to your arm?"

The man looks at his arm. At first he notices nothing, but then his skin starts to bubble. "YYYAAAAA! What are you doing? What are you doing to my fucking arm?!"

"Your arm? I didn't do anything to your arm, but your leg looks nasty."

The man sees his leg boiling away, stripping the flesh from the muscle, muscle from bone. "STOP! MAKE IT STOP!!"

"Where is Uzumaki Naruto?"

"OROCHIMARU-SAMA WILL KILL ME! DON'T MAKE ME SAY!!"

"You mean Kabuto-sama, correct?"

"No, Orochimaru-sama. Kabuto did an experiment and it brought back Orochimaru."

"WHEN! WHEN DID HE DO THIS?!"

"About 2 and a half years ago. Please, make it stop."

"One more time. Where the FUCK is NARUTO!!"

The man whimpers, "Hideout 782."

"Thank you, goodbye."

* * *

Sasuke breaks the genjutsu. The captive never awakens. "He's dead. But we have a bigger problem. Orochimaru is back. He is behind this. Naruto is his next container."

Everyone just stares. No one says a word.

* * *

Okubo falls to the floor in front of Orochimaru. "They defeated us. I failed you Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru smiles down on the fallen shinobi. "You haven't failed me. You have brought me a present. I will be able to punish dear Sasuke-kun for his disobedience. And I will be able to do it while in his best friend's body." Orochimaru licks his lips. "This is so delicious."

Orochimaru looks upon the fallen shinobi. "I will miss Kabuto's healing abilities. But I can still use you, so I guess you are lucky to have gotten back before I changed. Let me help you."

Orochimaru puts his hand over the gaping hole in Okubo's chest. The bones mend themselves, followed by the muscles knitting themselves back together. Lastly, the skin closes up over the exposed tissue.

"You will hurt for a while, but you will live. But, when they get here, you had better kill as many as possible. I won't heal you I you don't kill enough of them."

"I'll kill that bastard, Sasuke."

Orochimaru smiles and punches Okubo in the just healed chest wound. "No, Sasuke-kun is mine. Do what you want with the rest."

Okubo coughs up blood, but says nothing else about Sasuke. "Hai, Orochimaru-sama."

"Good."

A/N: I think that was much better! The first fight scene I did was pretty lousy, I think. I hope that this one was better. I really enjoyed the Sasuke genjutsu scene. I thought about going grosser, but I am still working that out. I think that I will be worse next time. LOL. Let me know what you think. Oh yeah, Kame means tortoise in Japanese. I kinda played off Gama-kichi for Kame-kichi's name. And Okubo is the Jounin that Orochimaru gave the curse seal to. I'm not sure if I conveyed that well enough in the chapter.

Please take a moment and review this chapter. And THANK YOU VERY MUCH to those that reviewed the last chapter. Thank you Reidluver, Narutoboyluver, PirateQueen12 and Toraus. I appreciate you taking the time to review!


	9. The Transformation

Kidnapped

Chapter 9: Transformation

Everyone stares in stunned silence at Sasuke.

"I thought you killed that bastard; what do you mean, Orochimaru's alive?!" Sakura yelled.

Sasuke shakes his head showing that he is as confused as everyone else to this revelation. "I have no idea. I thought that he was dead too. Apparently Kabuto found some trace amounts of Orochimaru's DNA and did some sort of experiment which brought him back. He probably tried to meld it directly into himself to gain Orochimaru's abilities."

"Is there anyway that you were lied to in that genjutsu?" Neji asked.

Sasuke shakes his head. "No, not that I know of. I don't think that he would have been strong enough to deceive me. All that matters now is that we get there as quickly as possible."

"How much time do we have?" Kakashi interjected.

"A day, tops. I doubt that long. At max speed, I can make it there in about a day, if I don't stop."

"We don't have your speed. The only one that could possibly keep up is Sai. And that is only on one of his birds." Kakashi said.

Sai breaks in, "I couldn't maintain it for a full day, besides Sasuke-san is even faster than that when he wants to be."

Kakashi holds Sasuke off. "Then we stay together. There is no way that you can take on all of Orochimaru's men by yourself. Naruto won't be served by you dying on the way."

Sasuke looks like he is about to argue further when Sakura stops him. "He's right. Besides, Naruto has gotten himself out of worse stuff than Orochimaru can send his way."

Sasuke stops, but he keeps his thought to himself.

Kakashi looks to the group. "Let's go, I'll announce a formation when we get there. Make all haste, we won't be stopping today. Eat and drink on the go. Got it?"

Everyone nods. "Good, then go."

They all take off with Sasuke in the lead.

* * *

"_**Are you ready, kit?"**_

"What do I need to do?"

"_**You just need to remove the seal. Take it off like you would a normal piece of paper off of a normal door."**_

"What will happen?"

"_**Well, I'll rush out and we will merge. It will look like I am bull-rushing you. It will be as if I am being pulled into you by a rubber band. And either it will work or we will both die."**_

Naruto nods. He approaches the fox's cage and brings his hand up to the seal.

"_**Wait."**_

Naruto stops and looks at the fox to continue.

"_**When you rip it off, try to hold onto it. You may need to use it again."**_

Naruto looks at Kyuubi no Kitsune with an eyebrow raised, but he raises his hand again. He places his right hand on the seal. He looks at the Demon Fox, "You sure."

Kyuubi nods and braces himself.

Naruto sighs. "Here goes nothin'."

Naruto grits his teeth and rips the seal off the door.

Naruto opens his eyes and looks back at Kyuubi with a look of confusion. "Now wha.."

Before Naruto could finish the sentence Kyuubi is launched through the air, sucked towards Naruto with a force comparable to an F-5 tornado. Kyuubi slams into Naruto. Somehow Naruto doesn't move an inch as the monstrous Demon Lord gets drawn into the place seal mark on Naruto's stomach.

"YAAAAHHHHH!!"

Pain like nothing Naruto had ever experienced coursed though his body. Pain that would have made the sadistic butchery that Orochimaru inflicted on him seem like light butterfly kisses. Naruto's body convulsed violently and if it hadn't been strapped down, it would have flopped off the bed and onto the floor.

Both Naruto's actual body and his mental representation of it started to metamorphosis. First red, blood red fur started to sprout from every hair follicle on his body. Then his mouth and nose elongated into a muzzle, his teeth forming into fangs. His ears moved to the top of his head and changed shape to imitate a fox's ears. His hands formed claws and his legs took on the shape of a fox's hind legs.

The mental representation of Naruto gritted his newly formed fangs and opened his eyes, eyes that now had feral slits instead of human pupils. He tightly closed his eyes and clenched his fists. The hair sank back into his skin, not into the follicles, making his skin take on a slight orange hew. His muzzle closed back into his face, but he maintained his front fangs. The claws receded into his hands. His legs went back into the shape of human legs, but retained the newly formed muscles and tendons. His eyes however, did not change back. Gone were those azure orbs, to stay are the feral slits.

Naruto's mental self shook off the pain and started to take an accounting of himself. He looked at the open jail and cringed. For the first time in his life, he felt truly empty and alone. He never had realized how much Kyuubi was a part of him before. As he started to the lazily swinging doors, Naruto suddenly realized where Kyuubi was. He was in his muscles, he was in his blood, he was in his newly formed chakra system. He would never again have his pure, blue chakra. But it wouldn't be the angry red either. He knew, he just KNEW it would be his trademark orange.

As Naruto reached the doors, he knew what he had to do. "Time to wake up."

As Orochimaru walks into the experiment room, he could feel the latent chakra flowing in the room. "My, my, have we been trying to wake up, child? Kukuku, you shouldn't be so hasty. I am coming to see you now. You are such an impertinent little thing, aren't you? Well, I will teach you obedience. Well, I will do a little more than that."

Orochimaru giggles and walks further into the room. As he approaches the bed, the straps holding Naruto down burn off and fall to the ground in ashes. Orochimaru stops and raises an eyebrow.

Naruto sits up an turns his body towards Orochimaru with his head down and his wild hair obscuring his face. "I don't do well with obedience lessons, asshole." Naruto lifts his head and opens his eyes. The pupils widen then straighten again. Then something completely unexpected happens. The pupils start spinning similar to the activation of the Sharingan. They stop and Naruto's eyes are completely orange with no pupils. "I hope you're ready…"

* * *

Sasuke stops about a mile from the hideout entrance. The two teams stop behind him. "This is it. Just over that hill is the hideout. We will have to fight our way in. There is no way that they don't know we are here."

They all nod and Kakashi announces the pairings. "Sasuke and Sakura, TenTen and Neji, Sai and Lee, Gai and myself." Sai looks wide-eyed at the exuberant green-clad shinobi and shakes his head. TenTen and Sakura giggle.

Lee puts his hand on Sai's shoulder and smiles the 'nice-guy' smile that only he and Naruto can do. Sai grins back, but looks for help from someone, anyone.

Kakashi gives the signal and they all head out.

The guards at the door never knew what hit them as the two inky snakes bit into their necks and wrapped their tails around the guards' body, constricting the life out of them. They never made a sound. The 8 pairs of Leaf Shinobi raced into the now vacated front door with amazing speed. As they ran, they broke off as they reached hallways intersections.

Screams and clashing metal sprang to life as they encountered security teams. Easily dispatching most, hardly taking the time to stop as they killed without mercy. They stopped and quickly scanned rooms as they came to them. There was no sign of Naruto yet.

* * *

Orochimaru could hear the skirmishes as he approached the now orange haired Jinchuuriki. "It seems that we have company. I'll have to go meet them… After I put on my new 'clothes'. " Orochimaru smiled and licked his lips with that disgustingly elongated purple tongue. "It will go much easier for you if you jus let it happen, but please, struggle. It is so much more delicious."

Naruto didn't even shudder at the threat. "Bring it on, Snake. I'm gonna rip you to shreds and finish what Sasuke started."

"Kukuku, so impatient. Well, I am in a hurry, so we had better get started."

Orochimaru lifted his arms and snakes launched themselves out of his sleeves, wrapping themselves around Naruto's body.

Naruto just grinned and his front fangs showed under his upper lip. "Come here."

Naruto flexed slightly and his new orange chakra flared, burning the snakes in an instant. Before their charred bodies could be retracted, Naruto grabs hold of two of them and yanked Orochimaru in.

Nose to nose, neither shinobi blinks. "Mmmmm, that is an impressive display. Let us see what other little tricks you have."

Orochimaru launches himself out of Naruto's grip and flashes several hand seals. The ground around Naruto's feet starts churning and Naruto sinks up to his ankles in mud. Without any hesitation Naruto flashes several hand seals of his own and launches six fire bullets at Orochimaru. As Orochimaru sets up his defense, Naruto leaps out of the mud and lands on the wall. Without missing a beat, he runs along the wall and throws two kunai at Orochimaru, just as Orochimaru's earth wall blocks the fire bullets.

Orochimaru slaps the kunai out of the air. "What are you trying to do, child? You know that those won't hurt me."

One of the deflected kunai bursts into a puff of smoke and a Kage Bunshin appears in its place. It plants its feet on the floor and bull rushes the Sannin. When it makes contact, mud splatters and both the shadow clone and mud clone disappear.

The true Orochimaru emerges from the earth wall that deflected the fire bullets. "Interesting tactic, but I am not senile enough to fall for it."

Naruto growls and forms a Rasengan. He sprints straight at the Sannin. "A frontal assault? Are you serious child?"

Naruto doesn't respond just continues on. Orochimaru launched mud bullets at the approaching shinobi. Each bullet hits Naruto, but he doesn't even slow. Orochimaru raises an eyebrow at this and leaps away as Naruto tries to score the hit.

The Rasengan destroys the wall behind where the Snake Sannin was standing. Amazingly, the orange, whirling orb didn't dissipate. Naruto leaped and scored a glancing hit on the Snake. Orochimaru grunted in the pain. Looking down, he saw a large chunk of skin missing, exposing his ribs under his right arm. Again, the orb didn't dissipate.

As Naruto drew back for another strike, Orochimaru leaped away. After he had some distance between them, the snake literally started shedding its skin. Orochimaru's mouth opened wide, with a sickening sound of skin ripping and bone snapping. Out of that gaping maw, a head started to emerge. The ace resembled a cross between Orochimaru's countenance and a snake's head. A tail with translucent scales followed. After the snake finished 'molting,' the body it formerly inhabited was left on the ground like an empty sack. It oozed out bodily fluids, emitting a foul odor.

"What the hell are you?" Naruto exclaimed in disgust.

The snakeman chuckled. "I am what you will become; well eventually you will be like those remains of poor Kabuto. But in the mean time, I will enjoy using your shell. Don't worry; you will still be alive, in a way. You should consider yourself lucky. I have chosen you to continue my immortality."

"I don't think so." As Naruto charged the monstrous incarnation of Orochimaru, he attempted to form a Rasengan. Before he could manage it, Orochimaru lunged and swallowed Naruto's body in one gulp.

Licking his lips, he smiles. "Struggle, child, struggle. Mmmmmmm, it is so sweet."

A/N: Alright, first things first. It is time to thank my reviewers! I want to thank Toraus, lirica and KunochiDreamer. It helps me write to see that people actually enjoy what I am putting out there! You guys are awesome! Now, you finally got it. The transformation. I always thought that he would have to change physically and mentally when he took the seal off. I didn't want it to be a complete change, but I thought that there would have to be something. I hope that you like how I had him go to the extreme of almost a werefox and then having Naruto force it back. I was inspired by the recent filler episode in the Sora Arc. He can do dang near anything when he puts his mind to it. I hope that you liked this chapter. Please, take the time to review it. I want to do better and provide a good story, so if you have any recommendations, give them to me! Also, this one will be wrapping up soon. Let me know what you want me to do. I can either do a sequel and we can continue to see Naruto grow with this new power or I can do something completely different and give you a brand new story. Just let me know what you want! Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter. I really appreciate it. And again, please review.


	10. In the Belly of the Beast

Kidnapped

Chapter 10: In the Belly of the Beast

Naruto finds himself back in his mindscape alone. "What the? I just got out of here!"

Before he can think any further on his predicament, Orochimaru appears in front of him. He no longer appeared to be the snake that he transformed into in the lab, just a moment ago.

Orochimaru looks around at the sewer that is Naruto's mindscape. "You are certainly a strange child. I've never been in a mindscape like this." He looks into Naruto's eyes. "You have issues, child."

Naruto chuckles. "I don't have issues, I've got volumes!" (If you don't get the joke, send me a message and I'll explain it.)

Naruto launches himself at Orochimaru with a Rasengan charged up in his hand. As he is about to land the strike, Orochimaru punches Naruto in the gut. Naruto flies through the air and crashes into a sewer wall, causing rubble to crash onto him.

The Snake chuckles, "Once you know the rules, it is hardly a fight."

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke stand back-to-back, panting heavily.

"Where the hell are they all coming from?" Sakura could barely get the words out, she was so tired.

Sasuke easily ducks a clumsy strike and dispatches his opponent with a well placed finger strike into the chuunin's eye, forcing the eye to explode and his brain to jettison out of a newly formed hole formed in the back of his head, from the pressure. "They must have been the troops that Kabuto kept reporting to Orochimaru about. I never cared about them, so I'm not sure of their numbers." Sasuke flashes several hand signs and brings his hand up to his mouth. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" A fireball erupts out of his mouth and envelops the approaching squad charging down the hall, giving them a moment's reprieve.

Sakura giggles. "You are the only man I know that can do fireball like that that is so hot that it even burns the smell of the burning bodies away. Too bad."

Sasuke gives Sakura a confused look. "You're enjoying this? Damn, you're a sadistic bi…" Sasuke catches himself before he can make a HUGE mistake.

Sakura just giggles again. "Naruto was the only one of us to train with a Sannin that was sadistic."

Sasuke shudders at the look in Sakura's eye. He now realizes just how dangerous this young kunoichi has grown over the years. "I guess Kabuto isn't the only medical ninja that prefers dealing out pain than curing people of it."

Sakura gets a dangerous look in her eye. Right before she can throw her punch, Sasuke rolls under her guard and slices the throat of a shinobi that was rising out of the floor using an earth jutsu. At the same time, Sakura catches a thrown kunai that was aimed for the base of Sasuke's skull, before he rolled out of the way. Sakura charges at the approaching kunoichi. They struggle, almost even for a moment. Finally, Sakura catches the kunoichi by the throat and slams her into a wall, knocking the all down. Sakura drops the now lifeless kunoichi at her feet.

Sakura gives Sasuke a wink and they both take off down the hall in search of the blonde haired knucklehead.

* * *

Gai screams and launches himself feet first at the gathered shinobi in the entrance to a large room, "Dynamic Entry!" The wall of Chuunin fodder explodes and bodies fly in all different directions. Gai turns back to Kakashi. "HA! That's 31 to your 29! I will win in this race to save Naruto!"

Kakashi sighs and nonchalantly tosses a kunai into the throat of a slowly reviving enemy. "For the last time, I'm not in a competition. But that makes it 30 all."

Gai's face turns crimson in rage, but instead of taking the bait he runs further into the room, searching for any other entrances. "Looks like we have to keep looking. No other ways in or out of this room."

They both head out of the door and down the hall. Ten feet from the next intersection, they both stop and make ready as they here running and shouts of panic. Before they can react, five Sound nin fly past the intersection screaming for their lives. Behind them, two ink gorillas give chase with an exasperated Lee in tow. "You can't get away! We will drive on after you with the fires of youth in our hearts. We will find our comrade!!"

Sai brings up the rear and as he sees Kakashi, he gives him a look that spelled a slow and painful death for the copy-ninja. Kakashi just smiled and gave a lazy salute in response.

Gai looks to Kakashi with a tear in his eye. "They make me so proud. There is a great generation to take care of the village when we are gone."

Kakashi unexpectedly puts his hand on Gai's shoulder. "No truer words could be spoken. We've done well, especially you. Lee is a marvel and a genius of hard work. He is a great shinobi of the Leaf and will become one of the best ever."

Kakashi takes off down the now empty corridor leaving Gai in tears and speechless. "Come on. I'm going to get a lead on the body count!"

Gai shakes the cobwebs out and follows after Kakashi. He whispers to himself. "No, it was all Lee."

Kakashi grins to himself as he hears the softly spoken words. Only the Inuzuka have better senses than Kakashi and not many of them at that.

* * *

Naruto pulls himself gingerly out of the rubble. He rubs the back of his head. "That's strange; there's no blood. I hit that wall hard." In the back of his mind, Naruto can barely remember something. Something about control and his mindscape. He can't quite figure out what it is though.

Before he can think any harder on it, Orochimaru is by his side. Orochimaru inhales deeply and gives a frown. "What's this? You aren't afraid yet? Kukuku, the meal isn't nearly as delicious when the prey isn't scared. I guess I will have to tenderize the meat a little more then.

Orochimaru grabs Naruto by the back of his shirt and throws him at the far wall. At the last possible instant, Naruto spins around. When his feet touch the wall, he springs back with blinding speed. Before Orochimaru can even realize what happened, the number one knuckleheaded ninja, slammed that head square into The Snake's face.

"What the? How did I do that?"

As Naruto is pondering, Orochimaru stands up with his face ruined. His nose is flattened and he now has a leaf imprint right in the middle of his face. "Still have some fight in you then? Good." Orochimaru licks his lips with that long purple tongue. The tongue extends out to cover his entire face. Everywhere it touches, the damage is healed.

"How in the hell did you do that?!"

"Not too bright are you. Oh well, I don't need your intellect, just your body."

Naruto blanches and takes off down the sewer.

"MMMMM, a chase. How lovely." Orochimaru follows at his own pace.

* * *

TenTen drives her spear into the chest of a doomed Sound nin. The force causes it to explode out the unfortunate kunoichi's back and sprays her fellow in the face with blood and parts of lung. Instead of retracting the spear, TenTen kicks the quickly dying kunoichi into the traumatized male shinobi behind 

her, impaling him in the stomach. It is hardly a life threatening injury, but he is trapped against his teammate and watches as a grey-eyed Hyuuga drives a Gentle Fist strike directly into his face, killing him instantly.

Neji looks to TenTen. "You are so messy. I'm going to have to burn this outfit when we get back to Konoha."

TenTen grabs him by the front of his robe and pulls him in for a hard kiss. After she let him go, she gives him a sultry look. "Maybe I'll get you out of those clothes sooner than that." She giggles and runs off down the hall leaving a completely dumbfounded Neji standing alone.

He smiles and shakes his head. "How is she still able to make my brain mush?"

"Are you coming?"

He smiles again and takes off after her.

* * *

Naruto stops in the room with the now empty cage. Seeing the cage, he remembers what Kyuubi had told him. "This is MY mindscape. I control it. Not him. Lets see how he likes this."

Naruto concentrates and changes the sewer into the Team 7 training ground. About the time the transformation finishes, Orochimaru emerges into the room.

"What's this, child? Do you have multiple personalities? We are no longer in your sewer. I guess we are going to find out what you like about this place."

In an instant, Orochimaru was behind Naruto. Before Naruto could react, Orochimaru had a kunai driven into his kidney.

"AAARRRGH! How did you do that?"

"Kukuku, we aren't at you academy. I don't give lessons for free. They always come at a price." Orochimaru licks Naruto's ear. "Pain, but still no fear. How interesting."

Naruto leaps away from Orochimaru, tearing the kunai away in the process. He reaches back and pulls it out. The wound closes up immediately. Angry orange chakra started coming out of his pores. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!" A single tail forms behind Naruto. It starts translucent, but as more chakra comes out of Naruto's body, it gets more and more solid. It forms into a solid fox's tail, roughly 6 feet long. Naruto's skin takes on a more orange hew and his fangs get longer. His muscles bulge outward, making his skin seem tight and ready to explode. Finally, his hands become more claw like. They are still human hands, but the nails are as hard as the hardest diamond and sinister looking.

Orochimaru just stares at the transformation, unable to tear his eyes away. He whispers, "Just what ARE you?"

In an other-worldly voice Naruto answers. "I am Kyuubi no Naruto. I will be the scourge of all that oppose me. You have threatened me and all that I hold dear. I will consume you."

* * *

The entire team meets up at the bottom level. "We've searched everywhere! Where else could he be, Sasuke?" Sakura seems on the verge of tears.

"They must have changed something. Is there anyone left alive?"

Neji activates his Byakugan and scans the complex. "I can see one massive chakra signature. It was blocked from above before. I think that something must have recently torn down the barrier. It is two floors up and near a large room. I think that that was Gai-sensei's and Kakashi's sector to scout.

The two Jounin look to each other and both know where they need to go. Kakashi looks back to the others. "Let's go."

* * *

Naruto charges headlong into Orochimaru, despite being stunned by the transformation, Orochimaru manages to stay just out of the reach of those terrible claws and thirsty fangs. For the first time since Sasuke defeated him, The Snake knew fear. "Get away from me you fiend!"

Orochimaru launches an assault. Snakes spring from the ground and attempt to latch onto Naruto with their poison laden fangs. Naruto simply flares his chakra leaving nothing but ash falling to the ground like snow.

Naruto growls and takes all fours on the ground. As he does, two more tails emerge. He glares daggers into Orochimaru and the orange hairs come out of his skin giving him a coat of orange-red fur. He rends a handful of earth from the ground and springs to the attack. Covering the 100 feet to Orochimaru in a split second, Naruto swings those taloned fingers raking his claws through the chest of The Snake exposing muscle and bone. The next swipe destroys those bones and rips into the gray green lungs underneath.

Orochimaru screams in pain and disappears in a puff of smoke. Naruto spins around and catches a completely healed Orochimaru in the face with a spinning heel kick. He disappears again. Finally Orochimaru enters again through the same entrance he came through at first. "How interesting. You are so full of surprises. You will be a great container."

Before Naruto can spring to the attack again, he finds himself enclosed in snake scales. He flares his chakra but nothing happens. "You can't escape from this jutsu. This is where I consume you. Although, your little claim was amusing." Orochimaru smiles and walks closer to the ensnared shinobi.

Naruto struggles, but more and more scales cover his body in an ever growing mound. _"How do I get out of this?!"_

* * *

The combined teams explode into the room that Gai and Kakashi cleaned earlier. Standing near the now exposed false wall is the Sound ninja that got away earlier, Okubo. "You're too late. Master should be finishing up his dinner any second now. He won't be needing another big meal for a couple of years now. But I think that I'll take care of the table scraps."

Okubo claps his hands together and both the ceiling and floor turn to mud. As they start to sink, everyone springs out and finds solid ground.

Kakashi blows a fireball at the earth user causing him to duck for cover. "If we keep him on the move, he can't target the lot of us in one strike."

In answer, Sasuke takes off across the mud. Before it can grab his ankles, Sakura slams her hands on the ground. "Doton: Nendo Hashi!" (Earth Style: Clay Bridge)

The mud beneath Sasuke's feet hardens and turns to clay. Sasuke clears the small distance to the Oto-nin and sinks a Chidori into his gut. The Mud Clone explodes, leaving a dirty, but uninjured Sasuke looking for the original. Sasuke leaps away as a stone arm reaches out of the mud and tries to grab his ankle.

A kunai with a tag wrapped around the hilt exploded as it embedded into the stone arm. At the same moment, its owner used a steel bo staff as a pole vault and cleared the mud to engage the now exposed Okubo. As they trade blows, Gai and Lee spring across the mud and use Konoha Senpu (Leaf Whirlwind) kick from opposite sides to destroy Okubo's legs. At the last minute, Okubo substituted himself with a stone statute from across the room. The statue exploded and showered TenTen with rubble.

Okubo assesses his situation and retreats into the lab before Sai's ink Mythical Beasts could attack. After he cleared the doorway, he activates the seals he placed there and collapses the doorway.

* * *

As Orochimaru continues to advance, Naruto futilely flares his chakra to break out of the crushing weight of the snake scales. "It is over child. I have you now." Orochimaru finishes closing the distance and stands directly in front of Naruto. "Am I starting to smell fear?" Orochimaru leans in so close that Naruto can smell his fetid breath. Orochimaru smiles and licks Naruto's exposed cheek all the way up to his hairline. "MMMMMM, I taste the fear as well."

Naruto gives Orochimaru a fierce glare. "I'm done playin' around!" Naruto flares his chakra again and the scales explode sending Orochimaru flying across the training ground like a rag doll.

Panting heavily Naruto stands with a feral snarl. Now all nine tails are swinging behind him. As Orochimaru staggers to a standing position, Naruto flashes out of sight and blasts Orochimaru in the face with a heavy fist. Orochimaru flies another hundred feet, but before he can even land, Naruto is there again landing a kick that doubles The Snake in two.

Naruto picks up the lifeless body of Orochimaru. "Now, it's over." Naruto throws the slowly reviving body a short distance away. As Orochimaru goes to a knee, Naruto claps both hands together and concentrates. Suddenly, Kyuubi's cage emerges around Orochimaru. Naruto slams the door shut and slaps the seal in place. "Enjoy your new home. The last inhabitant earned his parole. I don't think that you will be that lucky."

Orochimaru screams in impotent rage as Naruto dismisses the mindscape and wakes up in the lab. He looks up to see Okubo readying a powerful jutsu as a ton of rubble explodes from a punch from Sakura. Just before Okubo can finish the last seal and attack the vulnerable kunoichi, Naruto screams and lands an orange Rasengan directly in the back of Okubo's head, sending gray matter all over the wall.

The two teams swarm into the room and are surprised to see an extremely exhausted, but healthy Naruto panting on one knee. Before anyone knows what is going on, Sakura rushes over and lifts Naruto up. They stare into each other's eyes. To the surprise of everyone, especially Naruto, Sakura presses her lips against his and envelops him in a crushing hug. They kiss for almost a minute. In that time, not a soul takes a breath.

When they finally come up for air, Sakura's lips are bleeding from Naruto's newly acquired fangs. Everyone exhales at once and both of the shinobi just stare at each other. Not knowing what to say, everyone leaves the two of them alone. As Sasuke enters the site of the previous battle, Kakashi puts a hand on his shoulder. "Are you ok?"

Sasuke looks at his mentor. "I'm not sure." He looks back into the room. "But I think that it will be."

* * *

Inside of the room, Naruto and Sakura continue to stare at each other. "Sakura-chan, not that I'm complaining, but what was that?"

Sakura's eyes well up. She throws her arms around his neck and sobs, "I don't ever want to lose you again. I can't lose you again."

Stunned, Naruto rubs her hair and whispers soothing sounds into her ear. "It's ok. Everything is ok."

After a moment they separate. "I'm not sure what to do now, but I think that we should take it slowly, Sakura-chan."

Sakura nods. "I think, I think that I would like that."

Naruto smiles and gestures to the door. As they exit, Sasuke catches Naruto's eye. Naruto expects to see hatred, anger or hurt in the Uchiha's eyes. All he sees is happiness. Sasuke nods to his best friend and leads the troop to the compound entrance. He knows that they have a long way to go to get Naruto home to Konoha. They will have time to talk then.

A/N: Well, that is the end of Kidnapped. I am going to do a sequel, but I haven't figured out a title yet. I hope that you liked it. It was a lot of fun to write. I hope that you all follow on and read the sequel. Keep an eye on my profile page. I am sure that it will be Naru/Saku. I'm not sure as to what other pairings will be involved. I'm not sure what else to say. I really enjoyed writing this and I'm sad to end it. If you have any suggestions for the sequel, let me know. I am going to be brainstorming for a while to see where I am going to take it.

Oh yeah, I need to thank my reviewers! Thank you very much to: lirica, sheilanaruto, Sunny-Dip, KunochiDreamer, vash3055, Toraus, and Reidluver. I really appreciate the reviews. They help me to be a better writer.


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